HASBRO STUDIOS EXPANDS INTO ASIA, STRIKING PROGRAMMING DEALS WITH LEADING BROADCASTERS IN SINGAPORE, HONG KONG AND SOUTH KOREA

LOS ANGELES, CA, Sept. 7, 2011 — Hasbro Studios, the Los Angeles-based production and distribution division of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS), today announced its launch into Asia after reaching new deals with leading broadcasters in Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea.

Singapore’s highest-rated kids’ channel, Okto, has acquired Transformers Prime, the cutting-edge animated series based on the hit global brand, and the re-imagined half-hour animated series, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Both titles will debut on the English-language channel in daytime slots starting in August.

South Korea’s leading public broadcaster EBS has also picked up Transformers Prime as part of its continued drive to acquire primetime programming aimed at an older kids’ audience. Additionally, TVB Jade, Hong Kong’s highest-rated terrestrial channel, has signed Transformers Prime for launch in September.

Finn Arnesen, Hasbro Studios’ senior VP of international distribution and development, commented, “The deals with these three powerhouse channels represent a significant first step in our expanding international strategy throughout this vitally important region. We are very pleased to have leading broadcasters such as Okto, EBS and TVB Jade offering our popular kids’ programming from the outset as we develop and grow the Hasbro Studios brand in Asia.”

About Hasbro Studios

Hasbro Studios, the Los Angeles-based production and distribution division of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS), develops and produces shows based on Hasbro’s world class brands, including TRANSFORMERS, MY LITTLE PONY and G.I. JOE; delivers new branded content; and produces programs from top third-party content creators. Many of these shows run on The Hub, a television network for children and their families that was re-branded from Discovery Kids on October 10, 2010, as well as on multiple channels in international markets. The Hub is a joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK).

CONTACT:

London:
Debbie Lawrence
The Lippin Company, London
Email: dlawrence@lippingroup.com
Tel: +44 (0) 203 008 5406

Los Angeles:
Jim Benson
The Lippin Group
jbenson@lippingroup.com
323-965-1990, ext. 327

September 6, 2011 – Reaction to the newly elected NBTC has been decidedly muted with the members of Thailand’s new Broadcasting Commission heavily drawn from military ranks.

To read more coverage, please visit:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/lite/topstories/255134/nbtc-selections-fail-to-impress

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011/09/06/business/Strong-military-role-in-NBTC-30164583.html

Macau Court Whacks Government Over Cable Piracy:

A Macau appeals court was highly critical of government inaction over the continuing problem of cable piracy by the “antenna companies” servicing most of the SAR’s apartment buildings. Authorities “should intervene in order to prevent the continuation of these illegal activities,” the judges wrote. The government has taken the position that it’s up to legal operator Macau Cable TV to solve its own problems. Macau Cable filed suit against the companies, but the court said the ultimate responsibility lay with the SAR government: the court said the Administration must “put an end to this situation; it’s bizarre and degrading to the government’s own authority.”

Read the whole story here.

August 24, 2011 – KOLKATA: Five years after Conditional Access System (CAS) was introduced in localities along Kolkata’s western fringe, a section of unscrupulous cable operators is trying to systematically dismantle the transparent system and revert to the earlier murky practice of fudging subscriber numbers and indulging in transmission piracy.

Cable industry sources said 25 to 30 cablemen in Zone 1 comprising localities to the west of Tolly Nullah – Kidderpore, Chetla, Alipore, New Alipore, Karunamoyee, Haridevpur, Thakurpukur, Behala, Budge Budge, Maheshtala, Metiabruz and Garden Reach – have stopped digital transmission and reverted to analog transmission that is banned in the area.

To read the full article, please visit http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/CAS-on-brink-of-blackout/articleshow/9719460.cms

Tackling online piracy through graduated response: the new copyright alert system

August 23, 2011 — 8:35am ET | By Rick Carnes

The always-evolving relationship between ISPs and content owners took another turn toward cooperation and mutual respect in early July. Major ISPs including AT&T (NYSE: T), Cablevision (NYSE: CVC), Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA), Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ), as well as rights groups representing the movie studios and the record labels (MPAA, RIAA, IFTA and A2IM), announced a voluntary agreement to implement a pro-consumer Copyright Alert System to assist in curtailing illegal online piracy.

This new Copyright Alert System establishes a standardized program in which ISPs will forward a series of up to six notices of escalated warning to Internet subscribers whose Internet accounts may have been misused for illegally distributing copyrighted content without authorization of the rightful owner.

To read the full article, please visit: http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/tackling-online-piracy-through-graduated-response-new-copyright-alert-syste/2011-08-23#ixzz1VvYXjdyG

The electronic media has emerged as one of the fastest-growing and most competitive sectors in Pakistan, according to the Chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory (PEMRA).

Presenting the watchdog’s report for the year 2010-11 to President Asif Ali Zardari, Dr Abdul Jabbar advised that PEMRA, by the end of the 2010-11 financial year, had issued 85 licences for indigenous satellite TV channels. Out of these 48 licences were issued to entertainment channels, 29 to news and current affairs channels, six to educational TV channels, one to health and one to agro TV channel. In addition, 26 Landing Rights permissions were issued to offshore channels. 2,341 cable TV, six MMDS, one IPTV and three mobile TV licences were issued.

Source: http://advanced-television.com/index.php/2011/08/22/pakistan-4bn-broadcasting-market/

August 22, 2011 – CASBAA’s partner content protection association in Europe (AEPOC) has invited any CASBAA members attending IBC in Amsterdam to attend a special seminar exploring whether connected TV devices and hybrid platforms offer adequate safeguards against copyright infringement. The event will be held on Sunday September 11, at 12:30 pm CET, in the Eutelsat Balcony Suite, BM21 in Hall 1, close to the Eutelsat booth at IBC Amsterdam . A light lunch will be provided. More information can be found in the invitation here.

Executive Council to receive public antenna report

18/08/2011 – A preliminary report on ending the long running conflict between public antenna companies and Macau Cable TV will soon be presented to the Executive Council, said the director of the Telecommunication Regulations Bureau (DSRT), Lawrence Tou Veng Keong.
The report prepared by a work group created last November already received the green-light from Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On, he told journalists yesterday.
To read the full article, please visit: http://www.macaudailytimes.com.mo/macau/28568-Executive-Council-receive-public-antenna-report.html 

Tom Rogers of Tivo: Full interview with FT

Aug 8 2011 Tom Rogers, chief executive of Tivo, the technology company that revolutionised how television is watched, tells the FT’s David Gelles internet-connected television hasn’t been able to compete with traditional cable companies yet because the technology is still clunky.

To watch the interview, please visit http://video.ft.com/v/1096049052001/Tom-Rogers-of-Tivo-Full-interview

Friday August 5, 2011

PETALING JAYA: The request for proposal (RFP) for digital terrestrial television broadcasting (DTTB) will be issued soon, said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

However, the regulator did not say how much of the controversial 700MHz spectrum would be used by the broadcasters or the telecoms player in the digital era.

The “700MHz band is currently being used for broadcasting and the spectrum band for DTTB is 470MHz – 742MHz.”

The telecoms and broadcasting industry need the spectrum for their broadcasting needs. The telcos are becoming broadcasters by pushing TV contents to their users.

To read the full article, please visit http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/8/5/business/9242198&sec=business